The Minister of Social Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, will on Friday, 06 October, launch the Child Poverty and The Child Support Grant (CSG) Review Report in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
In 2020, the Minister of Social Development acknowledged the pressing need to review policy around the CSG. The following year, the department commissioned the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town to undertake a comprehensive review of child poverty and the value of the CSG.
The review will amongst other issues, reflect on the state of child poverty in the country, documenting the policy process in the development and expansion of the CSG, and reviewing the impact of the CSG on child poverty.
The CSG has been successful at reaching a large number of poor children with relative ease and it has the most pro-poor targeting record of all the existing social grants.
The Child Support Grant has successfully reached 13 million children to the value of R510 a month per child. The allocated CSG budget for the 2022/23 financial year was R77 billion.
South Africa's social assistance programme stands as a globally recognised model, acknowledged for its strategic role as the nation's primary poverty alleviation initiative. In 2022, the World Bank report on Inequality in Southern Africa, also identified South Africa’s Child Support Grant as the programme with the largest impact on poverty and the widest coverage of the poor.
In addition to government’s pro-poor policies of poverty alleviation, the CSG has played a significant role in positive school outcomes and research has shown it has ensured that eligible children receiving the CSG remain in school. The launch of the report is part of Social Development Month celebrated every year in October. This year's DSD month is celebrated under the theme: "working together to eradicate poverty and other social ills". The month is primarily observed to showcase the work taken by the Department and its entities, South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and National Development Agency (NDA).
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the launch of the report planned as follows:
Date: Friday, 6 October 2023
Time: 9h00
Virtual Venue: www.dsdtv.org.za
Physical: The Nelson Mandela Foundation, 107 Central St, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg
Media can RSVP by contacting Ms Nomfundo Lentsoane on 0664806845 / NomfundoLe@dsd.gov.za / Mr Jaconia Kobue on 0632495120 / JaconiaK@dsd.gov.za
Media enquiries may be forwarded to:
Ms Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
